Established 1961 15 Sports Wednesday, January 20, 2021 Ibrahimovic double as Milan pull clear of Inter on top of Mandzukic joins Milan on short-term deal

MILAN: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice on his first regular spot kicker Franck Kessie after the Swede had start in two months as AC Milan beat Cagliari 2-0 on missed twice from the spot twice before his injury. Monday to pull ahead of city rivals Inter on top of Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Cragno cleared a long- the Serie A table. Ibrahimovic, 39, got the first from range effort after 24 minutes with the the penalty spot after seven minutes, adding a sec- Italy defender hitting the post 10 minutes later. ond just after the break in Sardinia. Milan, targeting their first league title since 2011 ‘One more weapon’ when Ibrahimovic last played in the team, pull three Back after the break, Ibrahimovic connected with points ahead of Inter who beat champions Juventus Calabria’s long-range effort finishing off with the goal 2-0 in the San Siro on Sunday. “This victory is a sign confirmed after a VAR review. Milan held their above all to ourselves more than Inter,” said coach advantage despite playing the final quarter of an . “We all want to bring Milan back to the hour a man down after was sent top. The team will do everything from here to the off for two bookings, ten minutes after coming off the end. Now we have an important game against bench. Cagliari, just above the relegation zone in 17th Atalanta (Saturday), we focus on that, then in March position, fall to their fifth consecutive defeat on an 11- and April we will see where we are.” match winless run stretching back to November 7. Ibrahimovic proved he has returned to his best Milan next play sixth-placed Atalanta to keep after injury, with the club yesterday announcing the their push for a 19th ‘Scudetto’ and return to signing of former Juventus and Bayern Munich for- Champions League football for the first time since ward Mario Mandzukic to help their title push. “Ibra the 2013-2014 season on track. Pioli welcomed the will take care of keeping him (Mandzukic) at bay,” arrival of 34-year-old Mandzukic as “one more joked Pioli. weapon”. “I’m happy, the more strong players we The Swede brought his tally to 12 goals in eight have the better,” said Pioli. “I talked to him, he’s games with five doubles, including a brace on motivated. Maybe it will take some time for him to CAGLIARI: AC Milan’s Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic prepares to shoot and score his second goal during November 22 against Napoli, when he picked up the get in shape because he hasn’t played for a while, the Italian Serie A football match Cagliari vs AC Milan on Monday at the Sardegna Arena in Cagliari. — AFP thigh injury which sidelined him. Milan shook of the but he’s a winner.” absences of defender and Ibrahimovic added: “I’m happy, we’ll now be two available for the coach to rotate.” with Juventus. Mandzukic left Juve for Al-Duhail in Hakan Calhanoglu who tested positive for coron- to scare the opponents. We’re doing well, almost AC Milan had announced the arrival of former 2019 but departed the Qatari side by mutual con- avirus. The visitors quickly took control of the game halfway through the championship. Now the most Croatia striker Mandzukic on a six-month contract. sent last July. “The club and the striker have agreed after Cagliari defender Charalampos Lykogiannis difficult matches are starting, It’ll be a tough pro- Free agent Mandzukic, 34, who retired from inter- on a deal until the end of the current season with an fouled Ibrahimovic. gram, but with Mandzukic and (Soualiho) Meite and national football after losing the 2018 World Cup option to extend the contract for the next one,” Ibrahimovic decided to take the penalty ahead of I don’t know if others arrive we’ll have more players final, returns to the Italian top-flight after four years Milan said. — AFP Pirlo seeks first Juventus trophy in Italian Super Cup English clubs spent

MILAN: seeks to ease Now we need to pick ourselves up.” most in pandemic-hit fears his Juventus lack the killer It will be the fourth Super Cup instinct of his predecessors as the meeting between Juventus and transfer market fledgling coach targets his first trophy Napoli. The southerners won in 1990 against Napoli in the Italian Super and 2014 and lost in 2012. Eight-time PARIS: The number of international transfers Cup, days after a damaging league winners Juventus have finished run- of male players in 2020 dropped by 5.4 per- defeat to . ners-up four times in the last six cent compared to the previous year, while total The Serie A champions take on years, to Lazio last year, and last transfer fees were down significantly, by 23.4 ’s Italian Cup holders won in 2018. percent, due to the impact of the COVID-19 in Reggio Emilia today as the annual Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini pandemic, a FIFA report published Monday tie returns to Italy after two years in predicted his side would dust them- revealed. Saudi Arabia. It will be the first meet- selves off and switch back into win- In its Global Transfer Market Report, world ing between Pirlo and Gattuso, who ning mode. “We can’t let this result football’s governing body said that the total won the 2006 World Cup together floor us,” Chiellini said. “We have to amount spent on transfer fees of $5.63 billion and spent a decade as AC Milan reset because the first silverware of was down by $1.7 billion on 2019, a fall of teammates, winning two Serie A titles the season is at stake and it means a MILAN: Juventus’ Italian coach Andrea Pirlo reacts during the Italian Serie A nearly a quarter to the lowest cumulative and two Champions League crowns great deal to us.” football match Inter vs Juventus on January 17, 2021 at the San Siro stadium amount since 2016. together. in Milan. — AFP Unsurprisingly, English clubs spent by far They have not faced off this season Napoli unwind the most, with transfer fees totaling some $1.63 billion, followed by Italian clubs who spent a after Napoli refused to travel to Turin Napoli are coming off back-to- with two goals and setting up a third. in 2014. However, midfielder Fabian combined $731.5 million on international for their October league match back league wins after taking just four “Gattuso was a great player and Ruiz tested positive for coronavirus, moves. Spanish clubs received the most, the because of coronavirus cases, in a fix- points in their previous five matches. knows when we need to disconnect with Nigerian forward Victor report said, with $785.7 million. ture which will be replayed. But they Gattuso, 43, credited Napoli’s per- sometimes,” said captain Insigne. Osimhen also in doubt after being Without giving a specific figure, FIFA said approach the match differently with formance at the weekend with a “Better to have one day free from infected as he recovered from injury. that Chelsea spent the most of any club in Juventus’s bid for a 10th consecutive relaxing team lunch. “A lunch that training. We know we have made Juventus trio Matthijs de Ligt, Alex Europe ahead of Manchester United and league title in jeopardy after a 2-0 allowed us to be together to unwind, mistakes recently but this sport Sandro and Juan Cuadrado are also Manchester City, followed by Barcelona, loss to Inter Milan, left them fifth in and smile,” explained the former AC immediately offers you the opportu- recovering for Covid-19 with forward Juventus and Leeds United. Meanwhile Serie A. Napoli are third after a 6-0 Milan boss whose Italian Cup win last nity to make up for it. It will be a dif- Paulo Dybala injured. “We’re not in Manchester City reported the most outgoing win over Fiorentina on Sunday. season was his first coaching trophy. ferent challenge (today) than great shape on forwards at the transfers of any club, with 45, two more than “When you lack anger and deter- “I saw the lads were tired mentally Fiorentina, against an opponent full moment, but we’ll find a solution,” Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb and mination, it’s an uphill struggle,” said and it was just to go eat a plate of of champions.” warned Gattuso. “We need another Watford. FIFA registered a total of 17,077 41-year-old Pirlo, slamming his side pasta and drink a good glass of wine, Kalidou Koulibaly, Faouzi Ghoulam performance of substance. I know that international transfers, compared to 18,047 in as too “fearful”. “It was a bad defeat, talking a bit of nonsense.” and Dries Mertens are three members Juventus have something more, but 2019 and the first decline from year to year we didn’t expect it, we couldn’t have It paid off with of the current Napoli squad to have let’s not start off beaten, trophies are since 2010. There were still more transfers than put in a worse performance than this. inspiring the win over Fiorentina played in their last Super Cup triumph always important.” — AFP in all of 2018, but FIFA said “the downward trend is clearly due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The report reveals that only 11.6 percent of Aubameyang at the double as all transfers involved players making perma- nent moves from one club to another, while a Arsenal pile Newcastle woes large majority — some 62.5 percent — involved transfers of players who were out of contract. Indeed, only 1.3 percent of all trans- LONDON: Pierre-Emerick However, there was no change from fers involved a fee of over five million dollars, Aubameyang returned to scoring form the Magpies, who showed little ambi- with much of all the money spent concentrated with a double as Arsenal’s rise up the tion in failing to force Bernd Leno into on a select few players. Premier League table continued with a single save of note. Newcastle still The report lists the top 10 transfers in the a comfortable 3-0 win over Newcastle enjoy a seven-point cushion above the men’s game, with Kai Havertz’s move from on Monday. The Gunners were facing relegation zone, but those behind Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea featuring promi- an unlikely battle for survival less than them are in better form with still over nently alongside the likes of Arthur Melo’s a month ago, but 13 points from a pos- half the season to play. transfer from Barcelona to Juventus, Victor sible 15 have lifted Mikel Arteta’s men “We’re having a difficult moment, Osimhen going from Lille to Napoli, Bruno into 10th and within seven points of that little bit of confidence has ebbed Fernandes joining Manchester United from the top four. away,” said Bruce, who pointed to Sporting Lisbon and Ruben Dias leaving Despite Aubameyang doubling his Arsenal’s first two goals as example of Benfica for Manchester City. tally of league goals from open play why he has not played in a more Meanwhile, FIFA said the number of clubs this season, it was again Arsenal’s expansive style this season. “That’s involved in transfers of women’s players rose dynamic young duo of Emile Smith why we’ve been deep in the past to by more than a quarter, reflecting “the impres- Rowe and Bukayo Saka who caught avoid situations like that. sive strides being made as more and more the eye as the later slotted home the Unfortunately we’re throwing bodies female football players are turning professional hosts’ second goal in between the forward trying to score a goal and one every year.” The biggest transfer in the captain’s brace. pass and we’re caught.” LONDON: Arsenal’s Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates scoring women’s game was Pernille Harder’s switch “When we are winning they put a Aubameyang’s struggles in front of the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal from Wolfsburg to Chelsea, followed by the smile on my face,” said Arteta of Smith goal have played a major part in and Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in London on Monday. — AFP transfer of Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga from Rowe and Saka’s impact. “I know what Arsenal’s difficult start to Arteta’s first Sweden to Wuhan Jiangda in China.— AFP they are capable of doing. They are full season in charge. Another night to developing really well, that’s merit to forget seemed in store for the Gabon left foot, he fired high beyond Darlow ty net after Cedric Soares just man- them, to their teammates and everyone international when he hit the post with to open the floodgates. aged to keep the ball in play with a who is involved to help them develop the goal gaping after Karl Darlow had The emergence of Smith Rowe has low cross. Another headache for and protect them. The performances diverted Saka’s low effort into his path helped turned Arsenal’s fortunes Arteta is also set to be solved with they are putting in are extraordinary.” at the back post midway through the around in recent weeks since Arteta Mesut Ozil on the verge of agreeing a Newcastle do remain firmly in a first-half. But Aubameyang made no began to put his faith in the 20-year- move to Fenerbahce. Ozil has been the relegation fight after a ninth consecu- mistake with a more difficult chance old ahead of expensive recruits Willian highest earner at the club since sign- tive game without a win despite Steve early in the second-half after and Nicolas Pepe. Smith Rowe’s invit- ing a deal worth a reported £350,000 Bruce making eight changes. Bruce Newcastle were caught short from ing cut-back was swept home from ($475,000) a week in January 2018, said “the gloves were off” after a their own corner. Thomas Partey got just inside the area by Saka for his but has not featured under Arteta scathing analysis of his side’s display his first assist since arriving from third goal in five league games. since March. “He’s in Turkey now. in becoming the only team to lose to Atletico Madrid in October as he set Aubameyang then had an even eas- There is some paperwork still to do Sheffield United in the Premier Aubameyang free in behind and, ier task to slot home just his fifth and when the deal is finalized we’ll Bruno Fernandes League this season last week. despite being forced onto his weaker league goal of the season into an emp- make the announcement.” — AFP